Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-11-22
LAMAR AND SPARKS.
The Secretary Acted on His Own
Responsibility-An Important
Patent Decision.
Changes In NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Platt on
Edison's Patent Law Idea-Tho
Present Law Faulty.
Special Correspondence of the Gazette.


and that he does not desire to shift the
responsibility upon anybody. In fact, it
YVES done without conference with any
body. BE wrote his letter at home in the
evening, when he WAS filed with indigna-
ton at the conduct of Sparks. and neither
the President nor Secretary Villas (who
are reported by some hasty newspapers to
have held council over it, knew anything
Whatever shout it till they saw it in the
Post in the morning. This statement
comes from authentic sources. l am
able to add, however, that the absence of
the truculent and defiant chief Of the land
office will be relief to Mr.. Villas when
he comes into his hydra-hesded Inherit
ance, and that he already regards the
vista of his coming duties with dimin-
ished dismay.
The immediate result of the Supreme
court decision overthrowiDg the drive
well patent Gin which it OVerthrows also
at least three of its own decisions,) will
be to increase the stability of the patent
laws. Most of the raids which have been
made against the Patant Office in recent
years have originated in the disgust and
indignation of the 100, 600 victims Of the
drive-well fraud and eXtortion, scattered
all over the west. A system that hes for
nearly twenty years enabled company
by bogus patent to eXtort $40 from
every farmer who drove piece OF gas
pipe into the ground over this whole
country is certainly a terrible menace,
and it is fortunate that the court has
come to the rescue of the people.
The decision, dilatory as it is. will save
the farmers at least three quarters
O! million in accrued "roYslties." This
bogus patent was granted by Commits
sioner Theskar of Ohio, whose action has
been severely criticised and denounced
for years. The drive-well eXEortion has
done more than all the other patents ever
issued to create preJudices against the
American patent system.
The center of gravity Of this city seems
to be changing. The tendency Of popu-
lation towards the northwest has received
backset, and has once more turned to
the great hill which is crowned by the
capitol. This hill is the most conspicuous
object in Washington, and the old fashion
to make it a place OF residence
once more prevails. James G.
Blaine wanted to build here, but
yielded to the insistance OF his wife and
went to the northwest section. This fall
the acre of ground which he thus passed
by has been bought by William Walter
Phelps and Congressman Hit, who will
occupy il. Hitherto not mere than two
or three Senators have lived On Capitol
Hill, but this month ten have taken
houses or quarters there, among them,
Ingalls,, Platt, Spooner, Morgan, Harris,
Kenna, Dolph and Hswley,
yesterday called on Senator Platt,
who is chairman of the Senate Committee
on Patents, and asked his opinion OF
Edison's wish for new patent law, as
recently published in one Of my letters.
He said:
"As 1 understand Mr.. Edison, he would
like to have law enacted enabling any
man to file in the Patent Office any patent
or suggestion for a patent on payment of
81; and then he would not permit any
patentee or contestant to go back of such
filings in proof OF claim. 1t might be an
Improvement of the present laws, which
certainly needs amending, but have had
to fight for years to keep the laws from
being repealed altogether, and [ despair
of getting any such modification. There
are thieves and dispoilers hanging around
here, who have come pretty near
abolishing our patent system sew
eral times, and it requires g con-
slant and stiff fight to preserve It. An
earnest effort has been made for years 20
amend the laws SO that the duratiOnRf, an
American patent should not depend on
the termination of Italian or any foreign
patents, but the avsricious attempt to
make such s law retroactive has thus far
defeated the movement. Tell Mr.. Edison
that his opinion of what e petent law
ought to be has weight with Congress,
but there is SO much pulling and hallipg
that it will be difficult to get the 81 pat
ent adopted"
Allegations are made at the government
printing Office watch seem to call for an
investigating committee next winter at
the hands of Congress. 1 am informed
that under the printer IN charge last year
it was customary to do private work for
Members and Senators without charge.
job printing was done, posters. hand
bills and programmes furnished, and even
the stereotyping and electrotyping ma
chinery turned to private use. For one
member of Congress 600 books from his
library were bound anew and uniformly
Gin haHcalf;) for another "a presidential
candidste) the clerical force was en-
Eploysd collating information for his pri-
sgase use that would have cost him
thousands OF dollars if payment had been
required.
The Senate committee, with Cockrell,
Jones and Plstt at its head, is Just now
actively investigating the departments to
see what clerks are doing all they can,
and what work is behind. The War De-
partment clerks do q good deal of heavy
resting, and the business is far in arrears.
The Treasury, too, is delinquent. The
Postofflce Department is pretty close to
its work, and some divisions in the Inte-
rior Department, as the old war and navy
division of the Pension Office General
Coit) are doing twice as much as was
ever done with the same force. In the
Land Office there are said to be $4,000
letters unanswered, and 100000 cases
that have not yet been examined. The
report will stir up the Senate next winter.
W. A. CRoFFUT.